


Fear Inside Me

by vagrantBreath



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, I totally blame my friends, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-30
Updated: 2016-08-04
Packaged: 2018-07-28 07:11:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7630270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vagrantBreath/pseuds/vagrantBreath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Galra are after Shiro. The Paladins are slowly getting more and more ill, one by one. And Keith is having a series of very intense dreams about a certain leader of theirs.</p><p>This could only end poorly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I completely blame a friend of mine. She ships Sheith, and she actively encouraged this fic. I had been trying to tell my brain that no, I don't need a vampire AU every fandom I enter and she actively encouraged me to plan this out. So aim all the blame her way.
> 
> Also RWBY songs are really good for writing fight scenes. Who knew?

Something was wrong. The Galra weren’t acting like they usually do. Keith sent his Lion in a tight circle around, his heart pounding in his ears. What was wrong here? His hands shook on the controls with barely controlled adrenaline, the need to break into action. The need-

”I’m taking heavy fire here.” Shiro’s voice called over the communications line, catching his attention. Without thinking about it, Keith flew over to the concentration of Galra, shooting one out down easily. Two peeled off, and Keith immediately turned to follow. They weren’t going to get away. He flew after them, his teeth gritting as they avoided him. What were they doing? Stand and fight! Finally, he shot them down, turning back to the main fight. Pidge had joined Shiro, and they were taking down the thick crowd of Galra. Lance was still busy with the stragglers around, but he had that under control. Keith wasn’t going to help him unless he really needed it anyway. But Pidge and Shiro... Keith flew back, instantly taking another down as soon as he got close enough.

Somehow, it was easier than expected to mop up the remaining Galra. That was wrong. It should have taken them a lot longer than that. Keith found himself tapping on the control sticks as he made his way back to the hangars, his body still vibrating with unused energy. There was so much more he needed to do. That fight... was unsatisfactory. He needed to do more-

And now he was jumping out of his Lion, feeling strangely unfulfilled.

Maybe he’d do some training. That might help burn off the remaining energy.

”Keith.” Shiro’s voice made him pause, his fingers twitching a little in a random pattern as he turned back to him. “Are you doing alright?” he asked, coming over to him, his voice quieting to between the two of them.

He frowned. “The Galra.” The unused adrenaline warred with that thought in his head. “I wasn’t the only one that thought they were acting strangely, was I?”

Shiro took off his helmet, sighing. “No. You aren’t. They seemed to be focusing on me more than anyone else.”

Keith’s eyes narrowed. More attempting to claim the Black Lion. That was just getting annoying now. “Zarkon must have put out a bounty for the Black Lion,” Keith considered, his face pulling into a scowl.

”More than likely.” Shiro sighed, then looked at Keith. “You look tense. Would you like help working that off?”

Keith’s heart picked up at the words, and he straightened up. He knew what Shiro meant, damn it. And he did not mean that. “Yes, sir.”

Shiro’s hand clasped his shoulder. “Meet me in the training room in twenty minutes, then.”

Keith just nodded, not trusting his voice as Shiro walked away. Damn it. He had done so well not letting his want to have the other Paladin pin him to the ground overwhelm him for so long. Just a few words had all those feelings come back. He could easily ignore them again, and hiding them was something he was an old hand at, but still. He had other things to worry about than whether or not Shiro liked him enough to fuck him.

Keith quickly went to change into sparring clothes, his heart picking up again in anticipation. Shiro was always a worthy opponent. He would always work Keith to exactly where his limits were, and push him to new heights. It was always eye opening to spar with Shiro, and definitely one of the highlights of his week.

When he finally entered the training room, Shiro was stretching. Keith spent a moment admiring the line of muscle before starting to do the same, focusing on warming up his muscles as Shiro turned to him. When he was done, he nodded to Shiro, his body smoothly moving into position.

And then he had to dodge, taken a little by surprise by Shiro shifting his body to aim a kick upward towards his head. His arms swiftly blocked the following kick, then saw an opening. Without stopping, Keith twisted his body, aiming a punch at Shiro’s chest. It connected solidly, driving Shiro back. The two of them stared at each other for a moment, taking in each breath and twitch of muscle.

Ultimately, Keith broke first, ducking in to punch at Shiro’s face. Easily, Shiro grabbed his arm, driving his Galran arm into his stomach. Keith grunted, stumbling back. Shiro used that to let go of Keith’s arm, following with a punch to his chest. The blow nearly made him lose his balance, and he almost did not have time to block another. But Keith saw his own opening, and he turned his body into a kick, aiming it straight into Shiro’s side. The blow knocked Shiro off his feet, only for him to roll right back up as Keith drove his fist downward. His fist hit the ground, and Keith rolled to one side as Shiro twisted his body into a kick. The two of them stared at each other as Keith drew himself up, his breathing loud in his ears.

This time, when Shiro came in, Keith was just a little too slow. His arms managed to block the first punch, but Shiro’s foot to his stomach took him completely off guard and he crumpled around it, leaving an opening for him to land a blow on Keith’s jaw and send him to the floor. Slowly, Keith pulled himself to his feet, instantly deflecting a kick as soon as he pulled himself upright. He shifted his body into a flurry of kicks, Shiro blocking each one before punching him in the chest, making Keith stumble backwards.

Shiro’s next kick to the head came out of nowhere, laying him out on the floor. Keith stared up the ceiling, still trying to put together what just happened. He started to sit up, shaking his head, trying to clear it. He had to get up. The flight wasn’t over yet. It wasn’t-

”Enough, Keith.” Shiro’s voice cut through the air. Keith stopped, breathing heavily. He looked up at Shiro, who was holding a hand out to him. Without a word, he took the hand, stumbling a bit as he was hauled to his feet. “You did well.”

The words felt good. Keith started to smile, looking up at Shiro. “Thank you.”

Shiro smiled back, and shit did that make heat pool low in him. Nope, he did not have time to deal with this today. “Go shower.”

Keith nodded, happily escaping for his room and the shower. Now that was over with, he was left more than a little hard. A good shower where he could take care of that would be perfect.

On his way back to his room, his mind circled back to their fight with the Galra. They had been focusing on Shiro. Why? The most obvious answer was they wanted the Black Lion. But somehow, he wasn’t exactly sure of that either.

The thought stuck with him as he turned the shower on, nagging at him without a true answer.

* * *

Hands stroked down his sides as he was kissed deeply. Keith wrapped his legs around his partner’s hips, eagerly asking for more. His lips found his partner’s neck as a hand wrapped around his aching cock, stroking him as he gasped against the skin, gasping Shiro’s name as Shiro started to bring him closer to orgasm-

Which just woke Keith up. Goddamn it. Not again. Groaning, Keith slipped a hand under his boxers, shoving them down just enough to pull out his cock and start pumping it. He threw his other arm over his eyes as the dream raced through his mind. The feeling of Shiro against him. Shiro’s lips, firm and practiced. The hand, pulling him closer and closer...

A gasp escaped Keith’s throat as he came. He felt himself relax against the bed, arm falling away from his face as the relief from the orgasm filled him. He had been pushing that aside for far too long today. That... was well needed. Keith reached over for a few tissues, cleaning himself off and pulling his boxers back into place before tossing the used tissues into the trash.

That was what he needed, but now he couldn’t get back to sleep. An amused snort filled the air as he realized the orgasm had woken him up. Great. Opposite of what they were supposed to do.

Well, he could always use a walk. Keith sat up, grabbing a shirt and slipping it on as he started to stand. He slid on a pair of slippers (not like the stupid ones Lance had. Where had he even gotten them?) and started out.

It was always nice and quiet when everyone was asleep in the Castle of Lions. Keith still wasn’t quite used to how much noise was made by other people. Times like now were calming. Familiar. He found himself relaxing as he walked, his mind starting to settle.

”Keith?”

Shiro. He turned, surprised. What was Shiro- okay, he probably had a pretty good idea why Shiro was roaming the halls as well. What happened to Shiro didn’t work well with a good night’s sleep. But the fact they had run into each other and- Keith frowned. “Shiro, are you feeling alright?”

He looked so _pale_ and sickly. Shiro rubbed the side of his neck as if massaging away a muscle pain, looking away. “I’m fine, Keith,” he told him. “I just couldn’t sleep. I see the same for you?”

”I was just about to go back to bed,” he told him.

Shiro nodded. “Sleep well,” he told him. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

A sudden urge to grab him and kiss him filled Keith, but he knew how to beat that back down. Instead, he nodded. “In the morning,” he repeated. “Good night.”

”Good night.”

Keith nodded again, leaving. This time, when he stripped of his shirt and slippers and went back to bed, he fell right asleep.

No more dreams plagued him for the rest of the night.


	2. Chapter 2

Shiro didn’t look that much better the next day. He was still pale, and if Keith didn’t know any better, he would have said that Shiro’s hands were shaking. Was he sick? That would not be good. Galra attacks weren’t that numerous, but they did happen often enough. Having the Black Lion out of commission would not be good for all of them.

How would Shiro had gotten sick? No one else was sick. Keith considered this as he ate, ignoring everyone else and his mind whirling through the possibilities. Was it that he wasn’t sick, but injured from the fight? He would have told someone if that was true. Unless... there was a possibility that he didn’t know he was that injured. Keith grunted a little, drawing Lance’s attention.

”What’s up?” Lance nudged him, grinning slyly. “Brooding get the best of you already?”

Keith rolled his eyes, shifting away from him. “Unlike some of us at this table,” here, he pointedly looked at Lance, “I have actual things to worry about.”

Lance’s face fell, then grew indignant. “Hey, I have actual things to worry about too!”

That just made Keith stare at him, unimpressed. “If you have one serious thing rolling around in your head, I will eat that new goo Allura said was her favorite.” He could see Pidge shudder out of the corner of his eye. They had all tasted that goo. It was... well, indescribable. In a very bad way.

”I have. Lots.” Lance drew himself up, his chest puffing out.

”Lance. Keith.” Shiro’s listless voice silenced both of them. Keith looked over at him, and his hand clenched harder on his spoon when he saw how he was only staring down at his food, not even bothering to look up at them. Not even having the strength to do so. “If you have that much energy, then go train.”

”Aw yeah.” Lance finished his meal, then bounded to his feet, flexing one arm. “I am so going to beat you, Keith.”

Lance’s antics were ignored as Keith turned his attention to Shiro. “Are you doing okay?” he asked, looking him over. No, he wasn’t wrong. Shiro’s hands were shaking, ever so slightly.

”I’m fine.” Shiro flashed him a quick smile, trying to soothe his worries.

It didn’t work. Keith opened his mouth, ready to push further, only for Lance to interrupt him and say “Come on, Keith! Let’s go so I can whoop your ass!”

Keith glared at him. “Fine. If it’ll shut you up.” He turned to Shiro, then stood. Training with Lance would get his mind off things, at least for a little bit. “We’re not sparring. Last time we did so, you wouldn’t shut up for a week about the black eye I gave you.”

”Oh come on.” Lance made a face. “That was totally a sucker punch.”

”The Galra aren’t going to be nice and neat about all their punches!” Keith argued back as they started to leave. “You’re going to have to take a few dirty blows, and learn to give them back.”

”I grew up with sisters. I think I know about dirty blows.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “We’re still not sparring. I don’t want to hear you whining.”

”I don’t whine!”

”You’re whining right now!”

” _You’re_ whining right now!”

”That doesn’t-” Keith shook his head. “Whatever. We’re not sparring. Flight suit and armor.”

”Whatever,” Lance repeated. “I’ll see you there. I am so going to beat you, though.”

”Bring it on.”

* * *

Everything hurt.

Why didn’t Lance just accept defeat? Keith had him thoroughly trounced. And then Lance decided he wanted to go one more round and try to outdo him with droid downed. So of course they went one more round.

Then one more.

Then one more.

Then finally Keith put a stop to it. He had _won_. No matter what Lance did, he wasn’t going to tip the scales. Not to mention Keith was just getting tired of it all. Lance’s antics had lost their “charm,” so to speak. He wasn’t going to tolerate this nonsense any longer today. Keith just wanted this over with and to go back to his room.

Which, of course, meant that he now had time to think.

Not really a bad thing, if he was to be truthful. But it let him think about Shiro, which... what was going on there? If Shiro really was hurt, he needed to be looked at. See what was wrong. Keith stripped off all his clothing and turned on his shower, frowning. It wouldn’t be like Shiro to just hide what was wrong, would it? It had to be something else.

Keith ducked under the stream of water, grabbing the soap. As he washed up, his mind continued to whirl. What if it had to do with something the Galra did to him? Something that had flared up now. If that was the case, they needed to know about it. If the Galra had something to him, and it caused him to be weak, to be- Keith put the soap back, tilting his head back to let the water rush through his hair as the suds rinsed off his body.

If it had to do with something the Galra did, they needed to address it.

Except there was only one way Keith knew how to address it. He closed his eyes tightly, then shut off the water. That was something to worry about later. If it really was, then they could worry about that then. Keith stood there for a minute, the water dripping off of him before he turned, grabbing the towel and starting to dry off.

Shiro would probably be fine tomorrow. More than likely, he didn’t sleep well. Keith snorted as he realized how stupid he had been. Shiro had been through a lot as a Galran prisoner. No one knew exactly how much he had endured, not even Shiro. Of course there would be nights he would sleep poorly and it would reflect that the next day.

As Keith dressed again, he wondered... what, then, could he do to help Shiro? A part of him chimed in that it would be helping Shiro (and himself) if he went to his room, pulled Shiro into a kiss, and pushed him onto the bed. The more sensible side of him said that was a very stupid idea and there had to be another way.

But what was it?

* * *

Fingers were deep inside him. He groaned as they slid in and out, easy and sure. His legs spread further, encouraging more. Lips touched his, deepening into a messy kiss. Not to be outdone, he kissed back hard, wanting to keep up but starting to feel swept away. The fingers inside him felt wonderful, bringing him higher and higher. His lips kissed a desperate path across skin, down to a shoulder. The fingers pulled out, and he knew what came next. He knew what would happen, and he felt the excitement zing through him as-

Keith woke up. Another sex dream. He groaned, pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes. They had never been so bad before. But for some reason now, he was having more and more. Keith laughed a little at that thought. “For some reason” as if he didn’t realize Shiro’s presence had made him more horny than he had been in a very long time.

It was annoying, frankly. He didn’t need any of this.

And now he had a problem in his pants. With a sigh, Keith pushed down his boxers and took his cock into his hand, coming a few minutes later. He cleaned up quickly, settling back into bed and staring up at the ceiling.

It could be a lot worse. At least Shiro was mature. There were plenty enough people here that weren’t mature in the least. Keith blew out a breath, running a hand through his hair and resting it under his head. Hopefully Shiro was actually getting some rest tonight. They needed their leader to be well rested.

Of course, he could go tire him out by- nope. He was not even going to mentally finish that sentence.

Great.

Keith rolled over. He needed to get back to sleep. The team had training in the morning. As much as he thought Shiro needed rest, he needed it too.

He closed his eyes, trying to will himself back to sleep. Trying to ignore everything else and just drop back off to sleep.

At some point, he must have, since his alarm going off took him by surprise. Groaning, Keith sat up, making a face at the taste in his mouth. He needed to brush his teeth, badly. This was worse than usual. The toothbrush was loaded up, and he scrubbed at his teeth more than usual. Keith just wanted that taste gone. Had he slept with his mouth open or something?

Finally, he felt that his mouth was clean enough, and he got dressed for breakfast. Hopefully Shiro would be there, and that he looked better. If he didn’t- Keith shook his head. He’d worry about that when it happened.

When he got down to the dining hall, only Lance was there. Keith let out a breath at that, ready for more fighting as he sat down with his food. A few bites in, and he looked over at the other Paladin. Lance was staring down at his food, almost as if he didn’t see it. And he looked... pale. Sickly. Like Shiro had. “Hey, Lance.”

Lance started, looking up at Keith. “Hey. What’s up.”

”Something wrong? You’re usually more annoying than this.”

Instead of rising to the bait, Lance shrugged, rubbing the side of his neck as if it hurt. “I dunno. I woke up feeling... really bad. I kinda just want to go back to bed.”

”Shiro’s going to have your hide,” Keith warned, only for Lance to shrug.

”I kinda don’t care? That’s how bad I feel.”

Keith stared at him for a moment, then sighed. “Fine. I’ll tell Shiro you’re going back to bed. I’m not going to take any responsibility for you skipping out, though.”

”Hmph.” Lance didn’t respond to that, only stirred his food. Keith started eating, feeling worried. Lance never passed up a chance to try to oneup him. That was their relationship. They constantly tried to outdo each other. And now he was looking just like Shiro had.

Shiro. Was he feeling better? Or was he still like Lance? Or-?

Keith continued eating. He’d see at training if Shiro was feeling better. At least... he watched Lance walk away, dragging his feet, hoping Shiro felt better.

* * *

Shiro wasn’t at training.

This was worrying. He would be at training unless something happened to him. And now that it was only him, Hunk, and Pidge... Keith turned right back around, ignoring the other two and rushing down to Shiro’s room. Something was wrong, and he needed to know what it was.

And Shiro didn’t answer when he knocked on the door. Keith knocked louder, feeling the worry grow inside him. But he didn’t have to be worried, right? Maybe he was just talking to Allura. That would make sense. He didn’t have to be in his room. Keith knocked again, ready to turn and find Allura when the door opened.

Shiro stood there, blearily blinking down at him. “Keith, what...”

Keith caught him as Shiro’s legs gave out from under him, slowly easing him to the ground. This close up... shit, Shiro looked worse. He could almost see the veins under his skin. He pressed two fingers against Shiro’s neck, seeking the artery there and swallowed as he felt it flutter quickly.

He needed to get to Allura and Coran. Quickly. Keith threw one of Shiro’s arms around his neck and slowly stood, grunting under Shiro’s dead weight. He started to take a step, then paused. Was... Shiro’s Galran arm glowing? No, it wasn’t, but it almost looked as if it could be. Just... ever so faintly.

Shiro stirred against him. “Mmph.”

”Don’t talk.” Keith held him more securely, starting down the hall.

”Mmph.” He shook his head, then looked around. “What...” Slowly, Shiro got his legs under him, pulling them to a stop. “I’m fine. I just need some sleep.”

”You fainted,” Keith retorted, looking over at him. “That’s no one’s definition of ‘fine.’”

That only made Shiro sigh. “Keith, if you would, I think I would know my own body better than you would.”

”And I think the fact you look worse today says you need to be looked at.”

Shiro fell silent for a moment. “Everything will be fine,” he said finally. “I just need some sleep. Please, let me go and I will return to my room.”

”You missed training,” Keith pointed out.

There wasn’t much Shiro could say about that. “I’ll be there tomorrow,” he finally said, starting to pull away. “Don’t worry about me, Keith.”

All Keith could do was let him. He couldn’t make Shiro get help unless he wanted to. But... Keith grit his teeth as he watched Shiro sway on his feet. “You’re going to fall over again,” he told him, anger tinting each word.

”I’ll be fine.”

Then Shiro was going back to him room.

Leaving Keith alone, his hands balling into fists as he realized he couldn’t do a damned thing to help him.


	3. Chapter 3

It couldn’t be that both Lance and Shiro just managed to sleep poorly. Especially Lance. He made it a point to get his “beauty sleep” whenever he wasn’t woken up by Allura’s drills. That would mean something was going around. Keith looked up at the ceiling, unable to sleep as the thought slipped through his mind. And Shiro was only getting worse. Was it a Galra attack, some kind of biological warfare? It could be. They had been focusing on Shiro in the last battle. It was possible one of the hits they landed had something that infected him. And from there-

Absently, Keith ran a hand through his hair. If Shiro was infected, then they all were. They all needed to be checked up. With that thought, Keith sat up, grabbing his shirt and shoes, slipping both on and starting out for the pods. If he was infected with whatever Shiro and Lance had, he wasn’t going to let it overtake him like it did them. And he was going to get the rest in there too. They didn’t have time to argue about this. At any time, Galra soldiers could attack again. They needed to be healthy.

The first stop he made was Shiro’s room. He was the one that had been infected first, and he was getting worse. Therefore, he needed to go first. No matter what, this time, Keith wasn’t going to hear any differently. He knocked on the door, knocking again when Shiro didn’t answer. When he knocked for the third time, Shiro still not answering, he pounded his hand against the frame. “Wake up,” he yelled, trying not to sound worried. Shiro didn’t usually sleep through _anything._

Maybe Shiro wasn’t in his room? Keith turned on his heel, stalking through the halls to find him. It was irrational, but he didn’t want Shiro roaming around right now. It wasn’t as if it would make a difference in infecting everyone, but a part of him was convinced Shiro was spreading it around by being up and about. Keith’s feet nearly ran through the halls of the castle, hoping to find even a glimpse of Shiro.

Nothing.

Damn it. Keith started back to Shiro’s room, unable to keep the worry from burbling up. If he wasn’t responding...

When he reached Shiro’s room, his fists slammed into the door as he looked around for anything to force it open. He inhaled deeply as he took a step back, bouncing a little on his feet as he lifted his hands, ready to break the door open if he needed to.

”Keith?”

Allura’s voice broke his concentration. He looked over at her, taking in her surprised face and Shiro’s blank expression. Slowly, he relaxed, feeling his ears start to burn. “Allura. Shiro.”

”What were you doing?” She looked over at Shiro’s door, then back at Keith, her eyebrows raised.

”I-” Now everything just sounded stupid to his ears. “I thought something was wrong with Shiro. I wasn’t aware he was talking with you.”

A shadow crossed her face. “Yes. We needed to go over a few things.” She turned to Shiro, nodding to him. “Goodnight, Shiro.”

”Goodnight, Allura.” The two of them stood in silence as Allura left. Finally, Shiro locked eyes with Keith, his gaze too weary to be angry. “I don’t know why you’re here,” he told him, his voice quiet and listless. “But you should go sleep.”

”Shiro, you and Lance are sick. If you were infected-”

Did he flinch at that? “It’s not anything that can be taken care of,” Shiro told him firmly. “And Lance will be fine. Please, go back to your room.”

”What about the rest of us, then?”

Shiro fell quiet, and Keith felt a pit open in his stomach. He knew something was wrong and was hiding it. “Go back to your room,” he repeated quietly. Without letting Keith respond, he entered his room, closing the door behind him. Keith just stared at the closed door, his fists shaking at his sides.

Then he turned, heading back to his room.

* * *

True to Shiro’s word, Lance looked much better the following day. He wasn’t up to his usual annoying self, but at least he was shoveling food into his mouth like there was no tomorrow and he didn’t look so sickly. Still pale, however.

”Didn’t anyone tell you if you made that face, it would stay that way?” Lance asked, his mouth full of food. “Lighten up, man.”

Keith grunted, looking over the rest of the Paladins. Hunk and Pidge looked fine. But there was someone missing. Their leader. The one that fell ill first, that seemed to be getting worse when Lance was getting better. Keith took another bite of food, then stood up. “I’m going to go train.”

”Train, train, you’re like a freaking machine,” Lance moaned. “Don’t you ever do anything for fun?”

”Yes. I train.”

”You walked into that one,” Pidge informed Lance as Hunk snickered.

”Okay, fine. You find training fun too.” Lance waved a hand, suddenly looking very tired. Keith looked over at him, watching him rub his face. “Whoo, room spinny. I think I’m going to go lay down.”

”I thought you were feeling better,” Pidge noted, her voice taking on a worried tone.

”Yeah, I am. Just got a little dizzy there for a moment.” Lance stood up, waving a hand. “Catch you later.”

Keith watched him leave, swallowing. Lance was doing better, but he still wasn’t well. And Shiro wasn’t doing well at all. What was wrong? What did Shiro have, and why wasn’t he talking about it?

”You see it too.” Pidge’s quiet voice made him look over at her.

”Yeah.”

”I’m thinking it’s something that happened when the Galra took him prisoner, but Shiro just won’t-”

Hunk put a hand on Pidge’s shoulder. “It’s a hard time for him,” he told her gently. “And he doesn’t remember all of it.”

”Yeah, but this kind of thing is making him sick.” Pidge’s hands clenched under the table, her head bowing. “And whatever it is, it hit Lance too. What if it hits us next? What if the Galra attack us while we’re sick with whatever this is?”

”Pidge...”

”She’s right,” Keith told Hunk. “You saw how Lance is doing. And Shiro isn’t even here. If the Galra attack and we’re down two Paladins, it doesn’t fare well for us.”

Hunk drew in on himself slightly. “Shiro-”

”I know.” Pidge sagged suddenly, her entire body looking exhausted. “I know. None of us have had any luck with him. We just have to hope no Galra attack while we figure this out.”

Keith turned his head, looking down the hall as if Shiro could materialize out of nowhere. He didn’t like that idea. It needed to be taken care of, now. But... Shiro himself said it wasn’t anything that could be taken care of. “Have you two gotten yourselves scanned?”

”Yeah. We’re clean.”

He took that in, then looked at them. “Let’s do me too. I need to know.”

Hunk nodded, standing up. “Come on. I know how to work it.”

Keith took a deep breath, following Hunk. He’d know soon enough if he was infected with something. And if he was...

He didn’t want to think about if he was.

* * *

Well, the three of them had no diseases. Somehow, that didn’t ease Keith’s mind.

Shiro was still absent. Locked up in his room or talking to Allura, he didn’t know which it was. But either way... Keith sat down on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. No, he needed to make sure Shiro was okay. Quickly, he stood, slipping his shoes back on as he left.

He just. Wouldn’t make to break into Shiro’s room this time if Shiro didn’t answer him.

Keith lifted his head, keeping it high as he walked. It was a short walk to Shiro’s room anyway. As he reached the door, he paused, tilting his head. Did he hear- what was that noise? It almost sounded like someone- Cautiously, he knocked, listening.

Well, that was the sound of water in the pipes. The door opened, Shiro wiping his mouth. Keith looked him in the face, anger rising with each notice of the dark circles under his eyes, the too pale skin, the sickly cast to his looks. “Keith,” Shiro said, and his voice was so _empty_.

”Don’t you fucking avoid me this time!” He was yelling, but enough was enough. “What. Is. Wrong?”

Something in Shiro’s eyes broke. “Go away, Keith,” he whispered. “It’ll be fixed soon enough.” Before Keith could react, he shut the door, the lock engaging just as Keith slammed a fist into it.

”Don’t you fucking do this shit!” His fists pounded into door. “We’re a team. We’re supposed to help each other through this kind of thing. Open up, Shiro.”

”Keith?”

At Hunk’s voice behind him, he sighed. He woke up the others. “Sorry,” he said, turning around. “I’ll-”

Keith broke off as Hunk’s eyes rolled back, rushing forward to catch him. He eased Hunk to the floor, fingers seeking out his pulse, noting the pale sickly cast to his skin. It was strong, but fast. That eased his mind a little, but... Hunk wasn’t infected. They had scanned the three of them. None of them had any kind of diseases.

A long breath slipped out from between his lips. They had been wrong. They had been so wrong.

Keith looked over at Shiro’s room.

That was enough. Keith settled Hunk onto the floor, walking over to Shiro’s room. He drew himself up onto his toes, shifting his weight.

It took a few blows, but he managed to get the door open. Keith pushed it out of the way, stepping into Shiro’s room. Another time, he’d admire how it looked, how it was a reflection of the man, but right now he was more interested in where the man was. And by the way the bathroom light was on and the sound of vomiting, he had an idea.

”Shiro.” He didn’t want to take Shiro by surprise. “Hunk is sick now. We scanned ourselves; we didn’t have any kind of infections. You’re going to talk about this, and now. What’s going on?”

There wasn’t any answer from the bathroom. Finally Shiro emerged, looking at him. “Get out,” he said quietly.

”This affects the team. What’s going on?”

”Get out.” This time, it was spat between gritted teeth. Shiro's head turned away from him, his breath growing harsh in the quiet air. Keith opened his mouth, ready to ask what was wrong when he noticed the Galran arm shining, ever so faintly. Instead, he took a step back, his body shifting instinctively. “I mean it. Get out.”

”No.” Keith felt his heart pick up. Something was wrong. He had never seen Shiro like this before.

It was then that Shiro turned his head to him, his eyes snapping open. Just as Keith brought his arms up defensively, Shiro rushed him, his hands seizing his wrists and slamming them against the wall next to his head. Keith grunted as his back hit the wall, glaring up at Shiro as he stepped in close, effectively pinning him bodily. "Shi-"

Just as he started to speak Shiro's name, Shiro's head snapped forward, his teeth slicing into his throat.

A kiss of pain lanced through him, and he gasped, his hands flexing in Shiro's grasp.

He couldn't make sense of what was happening. What was Shiro doing? Keith pushed on Shiro's grasp, but he held tight. Keith was pinned there, pinned under his hands, his chest, his teeth...

Keith let his head loll against the wall, his breath desperate. Slowly, his eyes closed, a soft moan escaping his throat as his body started to sag, almost relaxing into his grip.

When he opened his eyes, he was in bed. Frantically, his fingers went to his neck, his eyes closing when he felt no wound.

Another dream. Keith snorted as he got out of bed, rubbing where he could almost remember feeling Shiro's teeth. Of all the things to dream about. Hunk being sick, Shiro attacking him... and he must have been so tired that he just took off his shoes. Keith plucked at his shirt, making a face as it stuck to him with sweat. He shook his head as he entered the bathroom, turning on the water to splash his face. Keith's hands rested against the sink as he looked up at the mirror, smirking a little at the memory of the dream.

Then he jolted, leaning forward.

There was blood on his collar.


	4. Chapter 4

The blood on his collar didn’t go away the more the stared at it. Slowly, Keith raised his hand, feeling his neck. No wound, but as he prodded he did feel a slight pain where he remembered Shiro biting him. His hand flattened over the side of his neck as he stared down at the sink, watching the water run into the drain.

_Gangshi,_ his mind whispered. _Vampire,_ another part hissed. He didn’t raise his head, his hand shaking on his neck.

Shiro had bitten him. Had drank his blood, and then the wound had healed. He had blacked out, and Shiro had put him in bed. If he hadn’t seen the blood on his collar, he would have thought it was a dream.

Keith’s hand spasmed on his skin as he inhaled sharply. He never asked if Lance or Hunk had dreamed. Or what their dreams were. They may have thought Shiro attacking them was a dream as well.

Finally, he raised his head, looking himself in the mirror. He looked... pale. No wonder. He had just lost blood. Not sickly, though. Strange. He didn’t look as bad as Lance or Hunk had at first, or Shiro before he- Keith shut off the water with a hard wrench, turning away from the sink. He looked like Lance did now. Not completely healthy, but not sick.

Lance. Keith narrowed his eyes. He had been outright _ill_. And now he was doing better. What happened? Why had he reacted so poorly to it when Keith didn’t? Why did Hunk...

No. No, it couldn’t be. Keith spun around, opening his mouth and inspecting his teeth in the mirror. It couldn’t be that Shiro was changing them and Lance and Hunk’s bodies didn’t react well to it. And that Keith’s...

Well, his teeth looked as normal as usual. He let out a long breath, stepping away from the sink. Something happened that Lance and Hunk didn’t react well. And for some reason, Keith was okay. Maybe Shiro took more from them? That Keith got off light? He took a long, shuddering breath at that thought, at the thought of Shiro going easy on him.

Then he turned, rushing out of the bathroom. Hunk. He had been so worried about himself that he forgot about Hunk. Keith rushed to the dining hall, a half formed prayer in his thoughts that Hunk would be there, that he hadn’t actually seen him last night.

He was, his head hanging over his plate. Keith skidded to a stop in the doorway, his breath harsh in his throat. Hunk looked... _terrible._ Perhaps worse than Lance had the first day. The other two Paladins sitting at the table looked up as Keith came to a stop, surprise on their faces. “Look who decided to join us,” Lance said archly, taking a bite of his goo.

”Hunk,” Keith breathed, ignoring Lance. “You’re... how are you feeling?”

In response, Hunk just shrugged.

”So uh... mind filling the rest of us in here?” Lance asked, pointing at him and Pidge.

Keith looked over at them as Pidge adjusted her glasses. “Lance,” he started, catching his eyes. “Answer this question, and you have to be completely honest. Did you dream the night you got sick?”

A brilliant blush covered Lance’s cheeks as he laughed. “What? What kind of question is that?”

”Don’t avoid the question!” Keith walked over to him, slamming his hands down on the table. “Did. You. Dream?”

Lance shrugged, looking away. “Yeah. I mean, is that a big deal?”

”What did you dream about?”

”Okay, now you’re just getting into personal territory and we are not bros like that.”

”We’re not even bros,” Keith retorted, irritated. “Answer. What did you dream about? Was it Shiro?”

Lance’s blush only got worse. “W-what? I mean, I am totally straight here, why would I be dreaming about another-”

”Did you dream about Shiro drinking your blood?”

Hunk lifted his head at that, and Pidge frowned. “I don’t get where you’re going with that,” she started when Hunk spoke up.

”I did.”

That made Lance look down at his plate, mumbling something. Before Keith could prompt him, he said louder, “I did too.”

Pidge inhaled sharply. “Keith.”

He nodded at her, answering her unspoken question. “I would thought it was a dream too, but I have blood on my collar.” Keith motioned to said bloodstain, watching the horror dawn on everyone’s face. “Shiro attacked me. He attacked all of us.”

”Not me,” Hunk mumbled. “I dreamt- I saw him and he looked sick. I told him I’d do anything to help him. I let him.”

”Me too.” Lance’s voice was barely audible.

Pidge folded her hands in front of her, resting her elbows on the table. “Looks like you were the only one attacked, Keith. What did you do to break the pattern?”

Broke into his room and confronted him. Keith waved his hand, not willing to say that. “Where is Shiro?” he asked instead. Now that they knew it wasn’t a dream, they needed to talk to him. Find out what’s going on. At least, what to do next.

”His room? I don’t know,” Lance told him, finally looking up at him.

Without waiting, Keith turned and started to leave, only to take a step backwards as he nearly ran into Allura. “Keith,” she greeted him, nodding as she entered the dining hall. “Pidge. Hunk. Lance.”

”Allura, hey.” It wasn’t up to Lance’s usual standards, but boy did he try.

Both Keith and Allura ignored him. ”Allura, have you seen Shiro?” They had been talking before about something. Maybe they had gotten together again last night.

Allura’s face fell at little. “That is... something I wanted to talk to you four about. Shiro has... repudiated his role as the Black Paladin.

”WHAT?!”

Lance looked between Keith and Pidge at their outburst, his face a mask of confusion. “Ah what now?”

”Shiro has... passed the role of leader on to me. We had hoped to have the Black Lion accept me before he left, but he left unexpectedly today.” Allura looked at all of them, her face and voice grave. “I will do you well, Paladins.”

”When did Shiro leave?” Keith asked, his voice low and barely controlled.

”About an hour ago.”

Keith pushed past her, rushing towards his room. This was bullshit. Allura was more than capable of leading them, but what if the Black Lion didn’t accept her? They needed Shiro back. They needed him, and they needed answers. He hadn’t drank their blood before now. What changed? Why did he need blood now?

He heard Lance coming after him, but he ignored him. Lance would only slow him down, in every way possible. He needed to get into his flight suit and rush down the zip line into his Lion.

He needed to find Shiro.


	5. Chapter 5

An hour ago. Keith reached out as his Lion leveled out, scanning in the direction they came from. Had there been a planet? Anywhere that Shiro could have landed? He watched the scan run, teeth grit. There had to be something.

”Keith!”

”If you’re going to get in my way, don’t bother,” he snapped at Pidge’s voice. “And that goes for you too, Lance. I know you’re there too.”

”Well duh. Allura wouldn’t let us let you go off and be dumb by yourself.” The Blue Lion came up beside him. “So, where do you think he would have gotten off to?”

”I don’t know,” he growled. There was so much space between now and an hour ago. Shiro could be anywhere.

”I think we passed a planet about the time Shiro would have left,” Pidge offered. “We should be able to make it back in about half an hour if we shut up and floor it.”

There was silence for a moment, then Keith _swore_ he could hear Lance smirk. “Last one there has to clean the training room for a week.”

”Lance!” The Blue Lion shot off, and Keith followed quickly, his eyes narrowing. In the corner of his eye, he could see the Green Lion doing the same, Pidge cursing over the com link. He wasn’t going to lose this one. Lance was going too fast at first. And the Red Lion was faster overall. He was going to win this one.

He saw Pidge peel off first. Quickly, he followed, putting on a burst of speed when he saw the planet come closer. He could feel the Red Lion’s approval around him as he passed Pidge, entering the atmosphere before her.

”Aw man!” Lance moaned.

”Sucks to suck, Lance!” Pidge told him as she and Keith hovered over the land, surveying. “I don’t see anything,” she reported as the Blue Lion joined them. “We should split up.”

”Yeah.” The three of them broke, Keith watching his Lion scan the surface. It wasn’t like if there was another Lion they were looking for, or even a large craft. Most likely, it would be some sort of escape pod that Shiro used when they were over the planet. He had to be here, though.

But he couldn’t find anything, and Pidge and Lance weren’t saying anything either.

”Guys?” Keith’s spine straightened as he heard Lance’s worried voice. “I think we should go. I’m seeing ships and I think they’re Galra.”

”Shit.” The word slipped from Pidge’s mouth through the com link easily. “Shit _and_ quiznak, for good measure. How many?”

”I don’t know, but I don’t like the idea of fighting them without being able to form Voltron.”

”We haven’t found Shiro,” Keith told them. “We can take them.”

”There can’t be many,” Pidge pointed out. “We didn’t see them on our way in. Where are they?”

”The ships are over by the big canyon. Think there’s something there? Think Shiro might be there?”

”I doubt Shiro would be in a canyon.” Keith sighed, turning his Lion. Why was Lance so dumb? “Pidge, you seeing anything?”

”No.”

Damn it. Keith’s upper lip lifted in a snarl, his hands tightening on the control sticks. Where was Shiro? He was about to turn again when a screen flashed, bringing up-

... Shiro. Fighting two Galra soldiers. Without thinking about it, Keith sent his Lion in an arc down. When he got close enough to see it on screen, he had to almost physically restrain himself from blasting the Galra right then and there. Shiro was there. And he didn’t have a weapon that could take out such a small target so finely.

Instead, he landed near them, bounding out and grabbing his bayard as he did. The weight of the sword was welcome as he came up to one Galra soldier, swinging only to meet armor. He shifted, swinging again, this time missing as the soldier managed to dodge at the last second. Keith could see Shiro come up and grab the soldier, throwing him against the tree. The soldier slumped, unconscious, and there was one more but-

Arms snaked up under his, the Galra soldier holding him tightly. “Enough, Champion,” he said roughly against Keith’s ear as he struggled. “You’ve been holding off activating that arm we so graciously gave you.” Shiro glared at him, one arm holding his abdomen. “Or is because you know we activated the bloodlust in it?”

Keith paused in his struggles, staring at Shiro. Of course. When he had been attacked, Shiro’s arm had glowed. Bloodlust. Literal bloodlust. Keith drew in desperate breaths as he watched Shiro’s hand flex.

”The druids considered you a failure, but you still have that bloodlust, don’t you?” Keith could feel the soldier shift, going for something on his wrist. “Let’s see it.”

And Shiro’s arm lit up.

The effect was instantaneous. Shiro curled up around his arm, crying out. Keith started struggling again as the Galra soldier knocked his helmet off and pushed his head to one side, his entire body freezing when Shiro straightened up, his eyes foreign to him. His breath scraped up through his throat as Shiro walked over to them, his arm coming out-

And wrenched the Galra soldier’s head to one side. His other hand snapped forward, pulling both of them to him as Shiro leaned over Keith, biting deeply into the soldier’s neck. Pinned between them, Keith could hear the soldier make a choked noise before quieting, his breath ghosting across Keith’s neck. The puffs of breath came fast, hard, needy as Shiro held him, the sound of swallowing filling Keith’s other ear. Slowly, the soldier went lax against them, his breath slowing.

It wasn’t until his breath had stopped that Shiro dropped him. His head pulled back slightly, looking down at Keith. Blood smeared Shiro’s mouth and chin, drops curling down his skin. One traced a line down his throat, a crimson trail left behind on pale skin until it met clothing. Keith watched it roll, then slowly looked back up into Shiro’s dark eyes. Shiro’s fingertips brushed his hips as he brought his hands back, barely a touch.

When the glow of Shiro’s arm clicked off, Keith could see the difference immediately. His skin grew sickly, and he wrenched himself away from Keith, hand over his mouth. Keith half reached out to him before looking over Shiro’s shoulder. He shoved Shiro aside, grabbing the half-conscious Galra soldier trying to aim at Shiro. His sword arm came up, and he speared the soldier in the throat without a second thought. The soldier clawed at the sword, but Keith only shoved it deeper, his eyes narrowing. Finally, the soldier fell lax, and Keith kicked him off his sword, turning back to Shiro.

”We need to go,” he told him, watching him curl in on himself. “Come on.” He looked up as the Blue and Green Lions passed overhead, then back at Shiro. “Let’s go.” Keith bent down, picking up his helmet and putting it back on.

”-answer you fucking-”

”Hello to you too, Lance,” Keith said dryly. “I got Shiro. We’re coming back.”

”Yeah, is that before or after you clean up after murdering a bunch of Galra?”

Keith went very, very still. “You-”

”Yeah.” Pidge’s voice was quiet. “We saw that.”

Chills ran down Keith’s spine as he looked over at Shiro. They had seen them kill. They had seen _Shiro_ kill.

Shiro turned sickly eyes on him and Keith swallowed hard. What were they going to do?


	6. Chapter 6

They had to say something. The cockpit of the Red Lion was too quiet. Shiro, Keith... hell, even Lance or Pidge had to speak up over the com link. A nagging thought that maybe they were talking, just leaving him out of the link, kept with him as they flew back to the Castle of Lions. Pidge had the lead, her Lion having been upgraded with the best sensors.

”I’m sorry.”

Keith turned a little to look at Shiro. He was staring intently at the Red Lion’s screen, almost as if he hadn’t spoken. “For what, not telling us? For treating it like it was a secret and letting us think we were getting sick?”

”Yes.” Shiro sighed, closing his eyes. “I didn’t know myself what was going on. After that battle, my arm started glowing randomly. And... you saw what came with it. Lance and Hunk... I had expected them to remember in the morning. I never did expect that was one of the side effects of the druid’s experimentation.”

”Hm.” Keith looked ahead again, settling back in his seat. “We don’t have bites.”

”I would also put that on the experimentation.”

”Hm.” Keith’s hand tightened on the control sticks. “Lance and Pidge aren’t reacting well to us murdering to save each other’s lives.”

There was silence. It went on long enough that Keith looked behind him again. Shiro looked... he looked empty. Haunted. His eyes were far away, reliving moments. Finally, his gaze sharpened again. “We shouldn’t have had to,” he said gently.

”I know.” The impact of his sword running through the soldier’s throat still ran through his arm. He wasn’t going to forget that any time soon. Not the way it felt, not the way the blood dripped down his sword, not the way it felt against his boot when he kicked the dead soldier off, the way a dead body felt against his foot- “We’re at war, Shiro. We’re going to do things we shouldn’t have to do.”

”I should have never involved you in this war.”

”What the _fuck_ , Shiro?” If Keith could have gotten up, he would have. “We all made this decision ourselves. None of it is your fault.” Shiro stared at him, surprised, and he settled back a bit. “Shiro, I-”

”I would have still come.” Pidge’s voice over the Red Lion’s com system made them jump. “Yeah, we’re listening in. I would have still signed up for this.”

”So would I,” Lance added. “So it’s not your fault Keith killed a guy. Just Keith being his own murderous self.”

”Fuck you too, Lance.”

”What worries me is why you killed, Shiro.” Pidge’s voice shut Lance and Keith up, bringing them both back down. “What the hell happened?”

”Bloodlust,” he said quietly. “They experimented on me. One was to give me a literal bloodlust. I had forgotten about it. The Galra... they must have found the records. Someone must have thought they could make it work.”

”And?”

Shiro fell silent for a moment. “It’s tied to my arm,” he finally said. “They activated that part since that our last space battle, and it’s been going off randomly since then. But my body- it can’t handle it.”

”So why did Hunk and I get sick?”

”I don’t know,” Shiro said softly. “I may have taken too much.”

No one knew how to answer that.

”We’re coming up on the Castle of Lions,” Pidge finally said. “I’ll take a look at your arm when we get there. Maybe I can shut it off again.”

”Of course, Pidge.”

No one said anything else for the rest of the return trip.

* * *

Keith couldn’t sleep.

True to her word, Pidge had grabbed Shiro once they arrived and hauled him off to work on his arm. Allura had to get her update while Pidge was bent over alien technology, trying to figure out what happened and how to stop it.

Lance, however... Keith wasn’t sure if he liked the way he had looked at them with a little fear. He wasn’t about to kill Lance. He... really wouldn’t ever kill him. No matter what he said, he had gotten attached to the asshole. He was a part of Voltron, and no one could take his place. Keith wasn’t about to kill him. Maybe kill for him, but that was a big maybe.

But now Keith didn’t know what had happened. Did Pidge manage to turn it off? Was everything okay now? How did Allura take what had happened?

Finally, Keith sat up and grabbed a shirt, not bothering with shoes this time as he pulled it on, leaving. He needed to know. And he had a pretty good idea that Shiro would be in his room this time. He made his way there, and held up his hand to knock-

And froze.

Shiro was in there. Whatever happened, there was no going back.

Keith took a deep breath and knocked. “It’s me,” he said, pitching it so it’d go through to door. “I just want to talk.”

Shiro didn’t answer.

”If you’re in there, I... just want to make sure everything’s okay.”

Shiro still didn’t answer. Keith placed his hand on the door, sighing. “See you tomorrow.”

As soon as his hand fell away, the door opened. Out of sheer force of will, he didn’t jolt as he looked up into Shiro’s face. “Keith.”

”Shiro.”

The two of them looked at each other, the moment awkward between them. Keith took in his tired eyes, the still slightly sickly cast to his skin, and grit his teeth. “Did Pidge manage to stop whatever it was?”

”She found whatever was malfunctioning, so my arm wouldn’t be going off randomly.” Shiro shook his head. “She couldn’t find what triggered the bloodlust yet.”

Yet. He’d be going back, being poked at more by Pidge. The thought sat in Keith’s stomach, hard and heavy. “So you won’t be needing any more blood.”

”I shouldn’t.”

Keith nodded. No more blood. No more sick teammates. Everything would go back to normal. Except that Shiro wouldn’t be able to use his arm in close combat anymore due to the bloodlust claiming him when he did.

Without another word, Keith reached up and cupped Shiro’s face, placing his lips on Shiro’s. He didn’t need to say anything, just do this. Just say with his body that he had been so afraid Shiro would leave. That he would never see Shiro again. Say in a way that couldn’t be misunderstood that he needed Shiro here, with Voltron, with _him._

Shiro moaned, his hands instantly going to Keith’s hips and pulling him closer. One hand came up to tangle in his hair, deepening the kiss easily. He pulled Keith into his room, not breaking the kiss as the door closed behind them. Instead, he pressed Keith up against it, his other hand coming up to cup Keith’s jaw. Keith dropped his hands, one to Shiro’s shoulders, the other gripping his hip. Shiro took that as permission to roll his hips forward, grinding into Keith’s and making both of them groan into the other’s lips. Head spinning, Keith broke the kiss, his head tilting back as he gasped needily. Shiro took that to draw his lips across Keith’s cheek down to his neck, his tongue flicking out to light Keith’s nerves on fire where it touched. His hips bore down again and it just wasn’t enough. It _wasn’t enough._

Then Shiro’s hand snaked between them, rubbing. Keith gasped as Shiro’s hand flattened over his clothed erection, holding on as he felt Shiro’s teeth lightly dig into his neck, no where near hard enough to break the skin, just enough that his nerves lit up and everything felt- oh everything _felt._

When he came, it felt like the world coming apart on him. He gripped onto Shiro as he shook and shuddered, finally relaxing as the orgasm passed. “That wasn’t what I came here to do,” he muttered, smiling a little.

Shiro laughed a little, and it sounded so wonderful to Keith’s ears. “And yet it happened anyway.”

A small laugh flew from Keith’s lips. “Yeah.”

For a moment, they stood like that. Then, Shiro kissed him and stepped back. “You should go back to bed.”

Yeah. He’d be able to sleep now. Though... uneasily, he looked down between Shiro’s legs. He didn’t feel right just leaving Shiro like that. Keith reached out, only for Shiro to grab his arm. “You should go back to bed,” he repeated. “My arm might not be going off randomly, but I know when something’s about to trigger it. And orgasm tends to set it off.”

Oh. Keith drew his hand back. “I see.”

Shiro tilted his head up, kissing him. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he promised. “And... thank you.”

Keith smiled a little, leaning in to kiss him back. “See you tomorrow.”

Maybe Pidge could figure out how to keep his arm from lighting up during orgasm...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for putting up with my self-indulgent bullshit. I love you all.


End file.
